The Bond
by Amles80
Summary: Conrad and Yuuri seem to experience something a bit out of the ordinary in episodes 85 and 86, when they're all in Dai Shimaron investigating the White Ravens. What is that? Here's my take on what they're thinking. This is not exactly romance, but, um... very romantic and I'm not afraid to admit it... *oneshot*


They were sneaking around in the shadows of Dai Shimaron's castle when Conrad suddenly got a strange feeling. Yozak and the black-haired boy who sometimes reminded him so much of Yuuri were talking about treasured swords, but Conrad wasn't listening anymore.

He paused and looked back, and then up. He could see the window-covered wall out there, and nothing more. All the huge windows were lit up by hundreds of candles and music was heard through the glass, and the sound of many voices talking and laughing. The place was vibrating with celebration and joy because the new king was showing off his power.

This was nothing strange. It was also not strange that Conrad knew that he was looking up at the room where people would be dancing; he had been in the castle before after all, not that he liked to think about it.

The strange part was the _feeling_he got. As if his eyes were drawn up there, but he couldn't see anything from where he was standing, only the shiny surfaces of the windows. And yet…

_Is Yuuri up there?_ he thought. _No, he can't be. But it's almost like seeing him, only… not with my eyes, but with the part of my heart that loves him more than he'll ever know…_

Except that Yuuri _wasn't _there, was he? In fact, they had been extra careful to make sure Yuuri stayed safely at home.

~:~:~

Everything was so shiny in there; the gold plates, the ladies' jewels, the men's cuff links, even the floor… And all the _food_! Yuuri knew he shouldn't be thinking about such things right then, but he couldn't help it; his mouth watered.

Yuuri almost wished they were real, invited, guests to the party so that they could enjoy it properly. But the whole thing was a bit intimidating – so many people everywhere, and he and Wolfram were wearing dresses! Had the ex-Queen really been telling the truth when she told them how very cute they were? What if someone saw that they were boys?

Yuuri's thoughts were beginning to race in his head, when they suddenly came to a halt. As if a warm, calming presence was reassuring him that he was safe, that everything was going to be alright.

As if Conrad was there.

If Yuuri really thought about it, he knew that the others were good, too. Yozak was great, Wolfram and Günter meant well in their own ways, and even Gwendal was genuinely – grumpily, but genuinely – watching over him, ready to be there if ever Yuuri needed him. And yet it was Conrad, out of all the people he had met in Shin Makoku, who could always make him feel safe just by looking at him.

Now, in the luxurious and sumptuously decorated room full of strangers, he had the strangest feeling that he could hear Conrad's voice. Not with his ears, but with that part somewhere inside of him that always was aware of Conrad's presence and felt wrong without him, but right when he was near. _It's alright, Yuuri. I will always find you, wherever you are; nothing in the world can hide you from my love._

~:~:~

Conrad's companions were looking inquiringly at him.

"No." He shrugged, suddenly feeling very silly. "It's nothing. Let's keep moving."

The three of them moved on. Conrad took a couple of deep breaths to clear his head and forget about what he had been thinking. Now was definitely not the time. His love for Yuuri was what it was – deep, mysterious, not to be spoken of or analyzed – and shouldn't interfere with his mission.

~:~:~

Yuuri stared at the big window. He could only see the dark night sky out there.

_No, Conrad can't be here right now, can he? And surely, he wouldn't ever say something like _that_, would he?_

Because that would be a seriously creepy thing to say. If it were Wolfram, it would be. Conrad was _maybe_the only person in the world who might…

"Is there something wrong, King Yuuri?"

Fanvalen interrupted his thoughts; Yuuri flinched and looked at him, feeling both relieved and just a tiny bit annoyed.

"Oh no, it's nothing."

Yuuri smiled and shrugged a little, attempting a giggle. Was it the dress that made him so silly, or what?

Fanvalen gave him a curious look, but then fortunately somebody came to speak to him, and Yuuri took the opportunity to escape the man's scrutiny as well as his own thoughts. How do you identify a suspicious person anyway? That was his mission, and thoughts about Conrad shouldn't interfere with that.

~:~:~

The park that surrounded the castle was big and looked wild like the free forest in the moonlight, but they couldn't stay there, not when guards were running all over the place. Yozak did the only sensible thing under the circumstances; he grabbed Wolfram and started running, unfazed by the kicking and screaming.

Conrad knew he should run, too, but a part of him wanted to do exactly like his little brother and run in the opposite direction.

_So Yuuri is here after all_, he thought, standing still, looking back at the castle. _I knew it…But we are going to save him, we're not going to let them have him…_

"Conrad."

Was that Adalbert's voice? What was he doing there? What did he want? _He took Julia_, something in the wind seemed to whisper to Conrad's heart. _But he can't have Yuuri…_

The sound of the other man coming closer snapped him out his paralysis and he turned his eyes away from the castle. Adalbert had nothing to do with Yuuri's predicament, of course.

Conrad followed the other men, running away from Yuuri so that he could come back to him later.

~:~:~

In the dark prison cell, tied to his hands and feet, Yuuri was waiting.

There was nothing else to do. It was not like he was proud of his unerring ability to get himself in trouble, and Ranjeel's prison was so not nice and cosy, but Yuuri wasn't afraid.

This guy Geneus who wouldn't show his face – definitely suspicious – probably thought he was crazy for not taking him up on his offer of help. And maybe he was. But why should he trust this mysterious stranger who had attacked them once?

"You think that help will arrive?" Geneus asked him, and Yuuri could tell the man was baffled by his apparent desire to stay behind bars.

But Yuuri smiled at him.

"It will", he said. "That's what I believe."

When he said it, he felt surer than ever before. Of course Conrad was going to come for him sooner or later. Every other option was unthinkable.

He smiled again. No, he wasn't crazy. He just had faith in love.


End file.
